Humpback whale makes a great jump.
(Mirror Daily, United States) – A boat full of tourists around the coast of Sydney had the great opportunity to see a humpback whale making a great leap out the water just a few meters away from their vessel.
According to John Goodridge, the man who managed to take pictures of the jump, everyone was facing the wrong direction when the whale jumped out of the water because with a couple of minutes earlier, the gentle giant breached on that side of the boat, so everyone expected it to appear there again.
Goodridge said that he had been picturing whales for more than a year, but he had never seen one jumping out of the water so close to a boat. It can be observed in the pictures that the humpback was larger and most likely heavier than the vessel.
He confessed that many people asked him if he used any effects to make the whale appear closer to the ship than it was in reality, but he explained that the whale actually jumped very close to the vessel. Goodridge said that he didn’t picture the splash as well because another whale immediately caught his attention.
Humpback whales migrate every year from the freezing waters of Antarctica to the tropics. During their journey, the gentle giants also visit the Eastern Australian coastline from where thousands of 50-feet long specimens can be seen.
Summer months usually make up for the period when pregnant females migrate north to give birth and protect their calves in warmer waters. Humpbacks were listed under the Endangered Species Act more than three decades ago because they were excessively hunted.
Their population has finally stabilized as scientists underlined that they are surprised by how many whales have been seen this year during the migration.
But there are other species of whale which are not that fortunate such as the Fin whale, which is one of the most endangered species in the United States. Scientists from the Pacific Whale Watch Association have recently reported that a Fin whale was spotted in Puget Sound on July 15th.
To understand how threatened this species is officials stated that this was the second sighting of a Fin whale in United States waters since 1930. The rare mammal was seen a couple of miles northeast of Dungeness Spit.
This giant is the second largest animal on the planet after the blue whale. According to Mark Malleson, the Fin whale was first spotted on July 9th, but they haven’t been able to take pictures until almost a week later. Based on the report, the whale was weighing around 70 tons, and it was around 60 and 70 feet long, much larger than a humpback whale.
Image Source:Rcinet